title: Educating international students about tuberculosis and infections associated with travel to visit friends and relatives (VFR-travel).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  International students in Victoria, Australia, originate from over 140 different countries. They are over-represented in disease notifications for tuberculosis and travel-associated infections, including enteric fever, hepatitis A, and malaria. We describe a public health initiative aimed to increase awareness of these illnesses among international students and their support staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified key agencies including student support advisors, medical practitioners, health insurers, and government and professional organisations. We developed health education materials targeting international students regarding tuberculosis and travel-related infections to be disseminated via a number of different media, including electronic and printed materials. We sought informal feedback from personnel in all interested agencies regarding the materials developed, their willingness to deliver these materials to international students, and their preferred media for disseminating these materials.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Education institutions with dedicated international student support staff and on-campus health clinics were more easily engaged to provide feedback and disseminate the health education materials than institutions without such dedicated personnel. Response to contacting off-campus medical practices was poor. Delivery of educational materials via electronic and social media was preferred over face-to-face education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is feasible to provide health education messages targeting international students for dissemination via appropriately-staffed educational institutions. This initiative could be expanded in terms of age-group, geographic range, and health issues to be targeted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia; Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Department of Health Victoria, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. Electronic address: Katherine.Gibney@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Gibney
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brass
authors.affiliation: Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia.
authors.forename: Sam C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hume
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leder
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D018563:Disease Notification; D005190:Family; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D033062:Friends; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011634:Public Health; D012306:Risk; D061108:Social Media; D013333:Student Health Services; D014195:Travel; D057236:Travel Medicine; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Health education; Public health; Social media; Student health services; Travel medicine